WhenToBird

Scolopax minor · Scolopacidae

When Do American Woodcocks Arrive in Iowa?

Adult American Woodcock
Photo: jeffcherry, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

American Woodcocks mostly pass through Iowa: they arrive in early March, peak in mid March (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.

When to look

First arrivalsMar 1-7early March
Common byMar 1-7early March
PeakMar 15-21mid March
Most gone byApr 8-14the second week of April

Best: mid March. First arrivals early March; most are gone by the second week of April. Peak: on about 3.1% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Jannot usually seen
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marpeak season
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Mayrare
  6. Junrare
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octrare
  11. Novrare
  12. Decnot usually seen

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%1%2%3%4%Jan 1-7: 0% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 0% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 0% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 0% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 0% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 0% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 0.2% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.7% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 2.0% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 3.3% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.3% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 2.9% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 1.9% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 1.0% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.8% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.4% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.4% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 0.3% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 0.2% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 0.1% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 0.2% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 0.2% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 0.1% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 0.1% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 0.1% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 0.1% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 0.1% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 0.1% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 0.1% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 0.1% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 0.1% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 0.1% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 0.1% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 0.1% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 0.1% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 0.1% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 0.1% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 0.1% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 0.1% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.3% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.4% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.1% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 0% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.1% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 0% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 0% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 0% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 0% of 5113 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Iowa that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Jefferson CountyBest the second week of March · 123 checklists that week, 4,772 in all19%
  2. Jones CountyBest late March · 10 checklists that week, 541 in all12%
  3. Appanoose CountyBest the second week of March · 22 checklists that week, 820 in all9.8%
  4. Boone CountyBest mid March · 58 checklists that week, 3,361 in all7.5%
  5. Greene CountyBest mid March · 37 checklists that week, 2,565 in all7.3%
  6. Warren CountyBest late February · 17 checklists that week, 1,278 in all7.3%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Saylorville Recreation Area (north)Polk County, best early March · 21 checklists that week, 577 in all62%
  2. Water Plant ParkJohnson County, best the second week of March · 45 checklists that week, 1,004 in all49%
  3. Terra LakePolk County, best late March · 27 checklists that week, 382 in all34%
  4. Grammer Grove Wildlife AreaMarshall County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 766 in all23%
  5. Squaw Creek ParkLinn County, best early March · 24 checklists that week, 665 in all21%
  6. Lake Manawa State ParkPottawattamie County, best the second week of March · 37 checklists that week, 599 in all20%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Iowa, the American Woodcock is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 pm (3.0% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 0.9% of 11313 checklists7 am: 0.2% of 25717 checklists8 am: 0.2% of 29755 checklists9 am: 0.2% of 28897 checklists10 am: 0.2% of 26343 checklists11 am: 0.2% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 0.2% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 0.2% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 0.2% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 0.3% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 0.7% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 1.9% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 4.7% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January0%0%0%0%
February0%0%0.2%0.7%
March2.0%3.3%3.3%2.9%
April1.9%1.0%0.8%0.4%
May0.4%0.3%0.2%0.1%
June0.2%0.2%0.1%0.1%
July0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
August0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
September0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
October0.1%0.1%0.1%0.3%
November0.4%0.1%0%0.1%
December0%0%0%0%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: arrives mid February, 2 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Wisconsin: arrives early March, in the same week than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives the second week of March, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives late February, 1 week earlier than Iowa

Common questions

When do American Woodcocks arrive in Iowa?
American Woodcocks mostly pass through Iowa: they arrive in early March, peak in mid March (3.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of April.
When do American Woodcocks leave Iowa?
Most American Woodcocks have left Iowa by the second week of April, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a American Woodcock in Iowa?
The American Woodcock is reported most often in mid March, on about 3.1% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are American Woodcocks seen most often?
By county, Jefferson County, Jones County, and Appanoose County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Woodcock (counties with at least 200 checklists).